A Little Taste of Something Sweet
by Cherielynn
Summary: Christmas kisses. John and Sherlock perform a tasting experiment that turns into delectable kissing. Fluffly fluff.


A Taste of Something Sweet

Christmas kisses. John and Sherlock perform a tasting experiment that turns into delectable kissing. Fluffly fluff.

It was Sunday morning in mid-December and John had the day off from the clinic. After waking up, he shuffled down the stairs in a pair of sweats and t-shirt. Winter had truly arrived and the sky outside had turned cloudy and dark. There was a distinct crispness in the air that suggested snow. Sherlock had started a fire and it had driven out some of the chill from the flat. He shook his head at the sudden thoughtfulness of his usually clueless flat mate and noticed that something smelled wonderful in the kitchen this morning. To his utter amazement, the kitchen table, usually strewn with lab equipment, was covered in a variety of Christmas, sugary confections and treats. It looked like a Santa inspired Willy Wonka had graced their flat and left behind a colorful cacophony of copious candy.

Among the artfully decorated cookies, chocolate fudge and sinful confections, John could make out a package of his all-time favorite treats, chocolate croissants. He'd woken up hungry this morning, and now his mouth began to water.

"Sherlock, where did all this come from?" he called out breathing deep. He could almost feel the sugar spike rushing through his veins just from the heavenly scent. Normally, he avoided sweets. He was a doctor after all and had been taught the value of good nutrition and avoidance of sugar and fat, but there was only so much resistance a person could do when faced with this much temptation.

"Experiment, obviously," Sherlock stated coming into the kitchen from his bedroom. In his arms, he carried two pink, confectionary boxes, one held at least a dozen different pasties and types of éclairs. "It's all for a case. But, I need some help," he said popping the "P."

"You need someone to taste test anything?" John asked hopefully.

"Yes, essentially. A man was murdered. However, just before he died, his wife kissed him and tasted something unusual in his mouth."

"Poison?" John asked glumly. Of course, suddenly his enthusiasm for eating any of Sherlock's treats seemed unwise.

"No these didn't kill him, but someone at a particular bakery did. They managed to inject him with a poison just after he'd visited their table and eaten some of their treats. The man was a test-taster for a chain of high end restaurants. I believe they wanted to make it look like he'd been poisoned by something he'd just eaten. I don't know the motive for it just yet.

He'd just gone to a patisserie convention where a number of bakeries were competing for a chance to supply his chain with desserts. Whoever he chose would have landed a very lucrative contract," Sherlock explained. Money is always a motivator for murder, John."

"The poison acted swiftly but gave him just enough time to walk away from the tasting tables across a large convention hall to meet his wife. She'd greeted him and gave him a rather passionate kiss, they were newly married, and a few minutes later, he began to feel the effects of the poison and died in her arms. The only clue I have comes from whatever she tasted in his mouth. I need to pinpoint exactly which combination of items will produce the specific taste of almonds, lemon, mint and a mystery ingredient, something she couldn't identify, in his mouth. She said it was familiar but she couldn't recall the name of it. I want to replicate the taste of the last thing he ate. Then, I'll be able to pinpoint the killer."

"Newlyweds, that's awful," John said shaking his head at Sherlock's story. But, how are you going to replicate what someone else specifically tasted? And, why do have so many different kinds of items? " John asked still confused.

The man sampled over thirty different types of desserts and sweets in the span of about an hour. So, I convinced Lestrade I needed a sample of each vendor's wares and brought them home. I've been tasting some of them. I've narrowed it down. But, I'm going to need your help with the last part.

"All right, you want me to help you taste these for those particular flavors?"

"Yes, John but that particular combination was probably created after the man processed them in his mouth. A combination of his saliva, and what he ate created this very unique flavor."

"So, you have to taste someone's mouth after they've taken a bite of something and swallowed it to get a residual flavor?" Suddenly the gist of what Sherlock wanted him to do dawned on him. "You want me to eat this stuff and then you'll kiss me to see if you can taste what she did?"

"Yes, John. It would be a tremendous help to this case."

"No, Sherlock! I don't think that would be a wise…"

"Oh, John. It's just science. Besides, I know you've thought about it. Wondered what it might be like to kiss me?" Sherlock said archly. "I've seen your little sidelong glances and I know you've fantasized about me…"

"How do you know what I fantasize about, Sherlock? Can you read minds now?" John asked getting very flustered with the current line of questioning. What a pretentious git, John thought. He'd lived with Sherlock for over a year and half. They were best friends and partners. He had, of course, wondered what it might be like to press his lips to Sherlock's, feel his silken curls run through his fingers as he held him close and worked his mouth... They lived in very close quarters, and this was a terrible, terrible idea. He didn't want to jeopardize their working relationship so he'd buried his feelings deep. So far they had remained good friends, nothing but flat mates, and their relationship had stayed stalwart and strong. Kissing Sherlock would definitely be a bad idea. Who knows what it would do the stability of their partnership.

"John, do you want that poor woman left wondering why her husband was killed. What if she's next? This is the only lead I have on the murderer. You've always helped me before," Sherlock stepped closer to John holding out a piece of puffy pastry. "I think I've got it narrowed down to about half a dozen, if that makes it easier."

"Maybe Molly could help you with this?" John asked hopefully, backing up until he could feel the edge of the kitchen counter digging into the small of back. He really did want to help him solve the case. John actually felt a sense of pride and that his flat mate felt comfortable enough with him to ask for this type of help. He was only slightly nervous when Sherlock pressed forward holding the pastry between two long fingers until it hovered just over his lips.

"No, John. I don't want Molly's help. I want yours," he said and gently drew the flaky pastry across John's bottom lip. It left a trail of sugar glaze, and John involuntarily licked it off his lips. The sweet taste flooded his mouth and when he opened up again, Sherlock pressed the rest of bite right inside.

A bit unnerved, he chewed and between his initial hunger and the wonderful taste, he rolled his eyes in pleasure. "God, this is amazing, Sherlock."

"Is it?" Sherlock asked arching one eyebrow. "This one's got lemon and almond so I thought we'd start with it. Now swallow John and …." Sherlock leaned forward and tilted his head.

John did swallow, hard. He opened his mouth to protest but Sherlock suddenly took advantage and pressed his lips over John's. One of Sherlock's large, strong hands reached behind John's neck to pull him forward in order to gain purchase and really explore his mouth with his tongue. He'd never felt so probed before. Sherlock's tongue pushed under his and searched for the elusive flavor in earnest. It lasted about twenty tortuous seconds and then it stopped.

"God, Sherlock!" John gasped when they broke apart. "I think you got it all," John said breathing heavily and wiping away a string of moisture from his mouth. That might have been the single most disgusting snog he'd ever experienced. "Where did you learn to kiss?"

"I'm not exactly doing this for pleasure, John," Sherlock said looking affronted. "I was trying to collect a sample."

"All right, Sherlock. I think the ice is broken now, but if we're going to do this, let's establish some kissing etiquette , eh?"

"Kissing etiquette?" Sherlock asked cocking his head, a scrunch line appearing above his nose between his blue-grey eyes.

"Yeah," John said. "First rule, no slobbering. That felt like kissing a wet sponge."

"Well then, you have to co-operate, John. Open up and give me access," Sherlock returned abruptly. "And I won't be so _disgusting_." Sherlock said and John thought he looked as if his feelings had been hurt. That gave him pause. Maybe this wasn't all about an experiment?

"Here, let me take another bite of that one," John said quickly hoping to smooth things over. This is exactly why kissing his flat mate wasn't a good idea. He picked up the pastry Sherlock had been holding. He took a proper bite, he wanted another one anyway, and chewed thoughtfully. He tried to make sure it went all around his mouth. "Let me take the lead on this one and show you."

He swallowed the delicious bite. This time he leaned into Sherlock's space and tilted his head. He opened his mouth slightly and pressed his lips onto Sherlock's. He heard the smallest gasp when he did and that only reinforced John's notion that this was somehow more than an experiment. He reached behind Sherlock's head to pull him forward and deepened the kiss gently. He licked along Sherlock's bottom lip and flicked his tongue in and out in quick little motions trying to convey as much of his "taste" as he could into the other man's mouth.

Sherlock stayed still and allowed John to work until the kiss was over. Just as John was getting ready to end it, Sherlock wrapped his lips around John's tongue and sucked. The effect was both interesting and arousing. John got the fleeting image of what those lips might feel like wrapped around his cock and immediately broke the kiss.

"What's wrong, John?" Sherlock asked concerned. "That was an exceptional sample. I got much more of the flavor that time. And it was less, slobbery?" Sherlock asked eying him intently.

"Much less, thanks," John said feeling the heat of desire rise on his cheeks.

"Good, thank you for the lesson," he said evenly and turned back to a notebook on the table to record his findings.

Yes, that second kiss was far better than the last one, and John could feel the blood rushing to another area in his body." He wondered if this experiment was doing anything for Sherlock at all. So far he'd been very professional and almost detached.

Sherlock turned back toward John with another small cake. "This one has a minty flavor. I wondered if he might have had two or three different kinds of desserts in order to produce the effect. Try adding this to the first one."

John took the delicate cake from Sherlock and took a bite. He swirled it around in his mouth. He was not as fond of this one as the last, it was far too heavy and rich. Sherlock allowed him just enough time to swallow and then pounced on him, enthusiastically reaching for his face to pull him closer.

"Sherlock," John said worried the man was going to feel his hardness through his sweatpants. "This might be having an effect on me…"

But, Sherlock cut off his protests and started by kissing just his bottom lip, sucking it in and pulling the minty, sweet taste off of it.

"Ummm, I like this flavor," Sherlock murmured in his rich, velvety voice directly into John's mouth. The combination of those words and his flat mate's improved technique had John panting and trying to keep his growing arousal under control.

Sherlock reached down to John's hips and used both hands to pull him closer. John's full erection pressed right into Sherlock's upper thigh. There was no disguising what this experiment was doing to him. John squirmed at the close contact, embarrassed at how much he wanted to simply grind into the man's leg. Sherlock reached back up and used his thumb to pull John's jaw down in order to get his mouth to fully open.

"Give me access," Sherlock growled into his mouth. "You're resisting!"

It was John's turn to gasp and Sherlock took full advantage to kiss him. Sherlock's possessive manhandling was beginning to turn him on. This time it was like no kiss John had ever had before in his life. While the first one had been disgusting and sloppy, this one felt blissful. Sherlock had mastered how to run his tongue everywhere creating sparks of pleasure. His whole mouth tingled and John only wanted it to last forever. He involuntarily ran his hands up Sherlock's back and pressed him into the embrace. Sherlock moved to cup John's jaw and he ran his thumb back and forth along it as he worked the kiss, experiment? John couldn't tell what it was supposed to be and that both aroused and confused the hell out of him. A small moan escaped him and the detective stiffened at the sound. Now, it was Sherlock's turn to pull away.

John looked up and saw the effect their last kiss had on him. Sherlock's cheeks were flushed and his pupils dilated.

"I could taste the combination that time," he said brusquely, not making eye contact with John. He busied himself making more notes on his paper. Then he pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text.

"Sherlock," John began. The sudden loss of Sherlock's warm body pressed against his had left him cold and aching. They should have never started down this path, he knew it. His asexual flat mate could never feel the same way about him that he did, could he?

"One more taste, John. I believe this one might provide the missing ingredient. Anise, John."

"Anise?" John asked still processing the thought he'd just been _kissing_ Sherlock.

"The flavor in black licorice," Sherlock said searching the table and producing a small, sugar coated cookie. "This one is probably it. I believe it was the unusual flavor the wife tasted. These three confections all came from the same table, and if my theory is correct, this combination will give us the flavor she described."

"Well, if you already know which table, then why do you need to test it?" John asked feeling angry that Sherlock was putting him through this roller coaster of emotions. What would happen once this experiment was over? A door had been opened and he didn't think he had the strength to close it. Would he ever be able to go back to the way things were?

"Because, John. We can't leave a thing like this to chance. Can we?" Sherlock demanded crossing back to stand in front of John again. "I think we need one more test." He looked directly into John's blue eyes and held out the cookie.

John took it tentatively and popped the whole thing into this mouth. He'd never liked black licorice and this cookie tasted heavily of it. He almost wanted to spit it out and his face gave a look of disgust.

"No John," Sherlock moved to place his hand over John's mouth as if he were forbidding him to even consider expelling it out. He kept the palm of his hand pressed firmly on John's lips and said, "Swallow it all."

He heard those words and another image came to John's mind then of himself with lips around Sherlock's cock licking and sucking until he made Sherlock come. He hoped the muffled moan that came from him this time could be interpreted as indignation at Sherlock's forceful behavior. He closed his eyes and felt his cheeks redden again. He swallowed the mushy mass in his mouth. If Sherlock noticed, he didn't say anything. He removed his hand slowly and said, "Ready?"

John nodded, closed his eyes and braced himself for another "collection" kiss.

This time Sherlock started very slowly. He didn't just press his mouth directly onto John's lips and begin. He felt a soft kiss on the underside of his chin just near his right ear. That startled him a bit but he kept his eyes closed and breathed in the scent of Sherlock. The certainly wasn't necessary for their experiment and John wanted to see where this might lead. He felt another soft kiss on his pulse point just below his ear and he inhaled sharply when Sherlock's mouth latched on and sucked hard. He felt hands on his back as Sherlock pressed him close. Their bodies now firmly sealed together from hip to chest. John's hardness hadn't diminished from the last kiss but now he felt something hard pressed into his own belly and smiled. Finally, Sherlock felt it too.

Both of them surged forward and met in the middle with mouths parted at just the perfect angle for kissing. Their lips met and mouths melted into perfect harmony. His own hands reached up, found Sherlock's curls and he pulled his fingers tight eliciting a filthy moan from his beautiful flat mate. It sent lustful shivers down his spine and into his belly. Sherlock gripped him tighter, pressing him closer than before, and he felt like their bodies were trying to mimic their mouths and melt together. The kiss went on and on and the flavors swirled on his tongue. He thought he'd never forget this particular kiss, the combined taste of mint, almond, lemon, black licorice, and the overwhelming feeling of rightness that he and Sherlock should fit together so perfectly.

Running out of air, they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily. Sherlock, eyes heavily lidded and lips reddened, smiled at him. "I think I've proven my theory."

"You're sure, then?" John asked not sure if he should feel disappointment in Sherlock's statement. He held his breath for a moment waiting for something else to happen.

"Oh yes, I'm sure," Sherlock said reached down to brush his fingertips over John's hardened length. John let out a shudder of pleasure. "My secondary hypothesis has also been proven correct."

"And that was?" John asked in a husky voice.

"I wondered if my kissing technique could be perfected with repeated efforts," Sherlock replied.

"Oh, and you think you've perfected it, do you?" John asked and covered Sherlock's erection in his own palm and pressed.

Sherlock's gasp resonated deeply within him. "You seem to enjoy it," he gasped out.

"Yes, I did," John said moving his hand up and down Sherlock's cock, the other still holding Sherlock tightly as if he never wanted to let him go. "Did you?"

"I did, but I may need more data. I think we may need to iron out just a few small areas…"

"What about your case?" John asked with a smirk. "A murderer is on the loose and all that?"

"Oh, I already texted Lestrade the name of the baker who did it," Sherlock said smugly.

"You git! That's who you sent that text to. You made me eat that disgusting cookie for nothing," John said shaking his head still smiling.

"Oh, I wouldn't say for nothing, John. It provided me with some very important data," Sherlock answered and kissed him again.


End file.
